Sida cordifolia L. - Llima
Family - Malvaceae
Stems:
Leaves:
N/A
Inflorescence:
N/A
Flowers:
Fruit.
Flowering - February - October.
Habitat - Sandhills, hammocks, sandy open ground and waste ground.
Origin - Native to tropical America.
Other information - This weedy introduced species has so far only been reported in one coastal Alabama county. The plant is easy to identify becasue of its cordate leaves and densely hairy stems. The plant photographed above was a depauperate specimen. The species can get to over 1m tall and be quite stout.
The genus name Sida is an old Greek name of obscure meaning. "sid(a)" in Greek means "a pomegranate tree" or "a kind of water plant". It is unknown how this name got attached to the plant above.
The species epithet cordifolia refers to the cordate leaves of the plant. "cord" is Latin for "the heart" and "foli" is Latin for "a leaf".
Alabama Distribution:
Photographs taken near Bok Tower, Lake Wales, FL., 2-12-03.